Announcement to all Durian Fans – The latest Durian Fest in Penang is on again. Details are as in the picture below. Penang durians are great in variety and full in flavor, if you haven’t been to Penang for durians before, I do recommend a trip to try.
(happened across it in this month’s Jetstar magazine – they seem to advertise specifically to Singaporeans to plan their trip there)
Durian Food Fair in Penang
April 30, 2012 Posted by sone | durian lovers, Durian Variety, Where to buy | advertisement, durian, Malaysia, penang, species, tours, Where to buy | 6 Comments
Parental Unit M today asked me over lunch if I had seen the different types of delicious durians in Penang. She doesn’t know I have this blog (at least I think she doesn’t know) and I replied that I had indeed tasted many different types of Penang durian and knew their flavors and some of their names.
She received this brochure by email from a friend and was rather inspired to make a trip to Penang to sample the ones mentioned. I said that it would only be right to attempt this during peak season, July through to September and not before (if we want to sample the range). And ideally, it would be 3 trips, one per month, because like the stock market, you just can’t time it to get everything you want.
Anyway, I thought it would be nice to make the brochure available on this site, since I haven’t come across it on my travels and you’re very welcome to view it and let me know what you think of their durian depictions, durian poetry and other snippets of weird and wonderful information.DurianBooklet
March 17, 2012 Posted by sone | Durian Abstract, durian lovers | advertisement, durian, penang, species | Leave a Comment
If you recall my previous post on the durian stall we went to in Jalan Macalister (or Lorong Susu to be precise), you’ll remember how much I enjoyed the wonderful flavors of the durian from Penang hybrids and old trees. If you’re in the business world, it shouldn’t surprise you that no one ever lets a good thing stay on its own.
Durian Stall one lane down from Lorong Susu
A competitor-truck-stall opened up on the next street, just far enough that you can’t quite see, yet close enough that it is less than 20 paces if you want to get there (unlike the chendol stalls along Jalan Penang, which are literally opposite each other, now that is cut throat competition). So on our second visit there, I saw the competitors and thought I’d go have a look at their wares on display and how it compares.
Firstly, the stall was very well lit with lots of fluorescent light tubes. This is generally a good thing as people can see your display, but the display isn’t what I would say is overwhelming or spilling over with durians. It looked a bit sparse actually, like they were trying to place them evenly along the racks to make the racks look full. Stringing them up provides a good effect, but if you can look at the vendor through the fruit, it just means that they don’t have that many for you to choose from.
Not that many strung up for sale
The tables and stools for eat-in clients were places alongside under a shady but uneven tree-lined path outside a beer-garden/ market sort of joint. Quite a good location as the joint looked quiet or closed during the day, leaving them full use of the space. Not many clients, but then again, maybe they catch the spill overs later in the day, especially when the other stall sells out and goes home first.
If you have a durian craving, you have a choice! I have no idea what this stall is like, but Ah Teik serves us pretty well, so unless he’s closed one day, then we might have the chance to sample the fruits of the other stall.
Here are a few pictures from the Lorong Susu stall that we went to again…
Lorong Susu Durian Stall
Ah Teik opening the durians
And some of the durian we had….
Butter, Milk, Black Thorn, Red Prawn Durian Cornucopia
Butter, Milk, Red Prawns and Black Thorns
And I leave you with a seriously yummy one… the rest is up to your imagination, or better, go give it a try.
Love it when flesh falls off the seed
February 23, 2012 Posted by sone | Durian Stalls, Where to buy | Durian Stalls, flavour, penang, Where to buy | 2 Comments
Durian Stall in Penang (front view)
If you didn’t know that durians from Penang are famous world-over, you do now.
Balik Pulau in Penang is one of Malaysia’s premium durian cultivation zones, with the creative farm-owners cross breeding the fruit to yield the most luscious flavors, colors, aromas and innovative names.
I was in Penang for work and including the 2 in tow from KL, there were a total of 6 of us. After the work day was done with, we rewarded ourselves with a durian feast which CyL had booked in advance.
“If you don’t book and you don’t arrive early, you won’t get the best” she said knowingly. It sounded almost like a threat that if we didn’t wrap up work in time, someone else might steal our fun.
So punctually at 5.30pm, we concluded business matters and piled into our vehicles. If you have been stuck in Penang’s almost-as-famous traffic jams before, you probably know that the short distance from Pulau Tikus to Jalan Macalister took us 30 minutes. Initially, I thought we were going to the usual Jalan Anson stall (which we had patronized all these years), but MG said that the stall owners were reluctant to acknowledge and exchange substandard quality durians which were charged at premium prices.
So where is the Durian Stall?
It’s right on the corner of Lorong Susu and Jalan Macalister, you can park along Lorong Susu. I’ve labelled both stalls on the map below just in case you are desperate for durian and one stall isn’t open for any reason.
Durian Stall in Penang
And what durian varieties do they have?
Here’s a signboard that will help you with your choice. Not that they have all the types all the time, because it depends on the specific trees and when the fruits fall.
The tools of the trade
Tools of the trade
Ok, now let’s get to the durians. It was almost dinner time so we went crazy and ordered all the best varieties they had.
Green Skin Durian
I think this was the Bamboo
They were all good, very different flavors and textures. Yummy.
The Durian Susu
Durian Fingerprint Texture Test
An unripe durian is very firm and almost dry to touch. The best way to know if the durian is ripe and ready for eating is to press your finger into it and see if it leaves an imprint, indicating its softness and moisture.
(I would not recommending this test on durians displayed in supermarket packages, the supermarkets get very upset when there are lots of fingerprints all over the durian they are trying to sell).
As a substitute for finger-pressing, use your nose. The smell of ripe durians always gives it away and the stronger and more tantalizing the scent. Color is deceptive as some durians are lighter than others, but generally durian flesh does darken in color slightly on ripening.
All the durians on the table – I think each of us must have eaten at least one whole if not two…
Various durians on the table
Of course, there is no way I could return without any durians for SW so we selected several and put them in a box. Green Skin, Butter, Mau Sang Wang were the three top ones, so those got packed into plastic containers and wrapped in cling film.
All these in the box for take-away
Looks quite a lot doesn’t it? But it was wrapped up into only 7 boxes. Interestingly while we were there wrapping these, several tourists from Macau also visited the stall and wanted to bring some back. Unfortunately, their tour guide informed them that Airasia would not accept durians onto their flight and that it was pointless to spend money buying them as they would probably be confiscated.
Hey Airasia, maybe its time to allow people to bring it on as long as its packed and sealed well (they have to use a cling wrap service for the entire bag perhaps) and pay a surcharge for these. After all, what else is there really to buy as a real cultural souvenir in Penang?
Durian menu in Chinese
Some parting shots, the durian names in chinese, for the benefit of our chinese readers, and a shot of all the durian husks in bins waiting for the garbage truck.
Durian Skin Bin
Maybe the durian skins are recycled or made into compost…
This is definitely a stall worth visiting, and if you don’t eat durian (what are you doing reading this site!!) then the stall also has great mangosteens and rambutans, jackfruit and cempadak, so you can gorge on that instead.
August 14, 2011 Posted by sone | Durian Accompanying Fruits, Durian Color, durian lovers, Durian Seeds, Durian Stalls, Where to buy | dinner, durian, durian packaging, Durian Stalls,durians, food, fruit, fruit stall, kuala lumpur, Malaysia, penang, species, stalls, tours, Where to buy | 2 Comments
Hainanese Chicken Rice.
I was taught to eat durian by my father at the age of 4. Peeping into the kitchen late one evening, I saw my parents crouched on the floor over a makseshift carpet of newspapers, energetically ripping the husks of a stinky green fruit apart. I was more amazed with the enthusiasm of my parents towards their activity than the fruit itself. My father happened to look up and saw me watching quietly from the kitchen door, he beckoned me to come over to have a look.
